General CommentI read somewhere that Jack created this song one night when he and Slater and Machado and the whole September Sessions crew were out on the boat while making the movie (one of my all time fav's) and he sang it to try and ease a poor seasick Rob Machado (also one of my all time fav's, wink wink) off to sleep. Also, i think F-Stop blues might be a camera -term.... Jack being a film maker and all. I LOVE this guy. ; )

General Commentyeah f-stops are what control the amount of light on the film so when he says "clouds bring the f-stop blues" hes saying that its harder to take pictures whent he clouds come cuz there isn't as much light. hehe

General Commenti love this song, and i love all of Jack Johnsons songs. He is my all time favorite singer! i luv the part in the song where he goes "he's waving at you" and he's aiming at you" i luv how he carries out the you! its so cool hes the best!

General Commentwell before i read this, this song had a whole different meaning to me. as far as i know jack doesn't have a son but it sounds like he's singing about a son, and it says "lift him up to see what you can see, as he begins his focusing", which is like a baby.

General CommentThe lyrics posted for this are wrong. It is not "He's waving a shoe" it is "He' waving at you" and it is not "Gutterways for memories" it is Cut aways for memories, which is a term used in film making. This song is about living your life on the other side of a camera lens. The F-Stop on a camera detemines how much light is let through, making your picture or frame either "Hot" or " Cold". The song is about being a spectator and not a participant to many greta things, which I am sure has been nittersweet for J. Johnson. I had never heard the Rob Machado story but it sounds very believable as Rob is known for having no sea-legs. A killer song, especially in the Sept. Sessions movie.

General CommentThe f-stop also determines the amount of depth of field that you are able to get. When he mentioned the clouds, I imagined his frustration of how flat/shallow the results would be. Sometimes his songs are literal and sometimes not. I love the way that he is able to intentionally create multiple interpretations of his songs.